Our Lady of the Cape Primary School

Dear Parents and Community Members,

Last week was Wellbeing Week. Looking after your wellbeing is really important. Taking the time to do something fun or relaxing, connecting with others, getting some exercise, eating well and getting enough sleep are all ways to care for yourself, so you are healthy and well enough to care for others.

No qualifications needed, start the conversation! Thursday 10 September was the national day of action when Australians were reminded that every day is the day to ask, ‘Are you OK?’ and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about might be struggling with life. Ask R U OK? any day because life happens every day. The people you care about go through life’s ups and downs every day. By having regular, meaningful conversations, you build trust and normalise talking about what’s really going on, so when the people in your world find themselves struggling, they know you’re someone they can talk to. We encourage you to Ask R U OK? any day of the year because a conversation could change a life

A Catholic School Advisory Council provides parents and community members with structured ways to provide support and expertise to the Principal and school leadership team.

A Catholic School Advisory Council advises the Principal by:

· bringing a wide range of skills, experience and expertise to the Catholic school community, and

· supporting the planning for the school's current and future operation.

A Catholic School Advisory Council works in active partnership and collaboration with the Principal and Parents & Friends Group, for the benefit of Catholic school students.

A Catholic School Parents and Friends Group (P&F) provides the opportunity for parents, caregivers and friends of the school to meet, share and become a community that supports and encourages our students and staff in realising the shared vision of Catholic education. The P&F can add strength to their school through community engagement and fundraising initiatives, in addition to being positive advocates for its school.

I am so grateful for the support, leadership and commitment shown by our current School Advisory Council and P&F Executive. Both groups, while distinctive in their purpose, are valuable parts of our school community. For 2027, there will be some vacancies in both groups. There will be two positions available for the School Advisory Council, and four positions for the P&F Executive.

Please consider if this is something that you would like to do to get involved and help to make a difference in the life of our school. Nomination forms are attached, and if there are more nominations than vacancies, an electronic voting process will be enacted and communicated to parents.

If you have any questions about these positions or would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact me, or alternatively, Leah Pearson – retiring Chair of the SAC or Ebony Treptow – retiring P&F Chair, would be happy to chat with you to provide some more information.

Please click on the attached Form to nominate for either group, by Friday 23 October. Thank you in anticipation.

Catholic School Advisory Council and Parents & Friends (P&F) Association Nomination Form (Copy) – Fill out form

In Weeks 9 and 10, students from Years 2 to 6 will be participating in EduDance sessions. Each class will have a dance lesson each day, leading up to a Dance Concert on Thursday 24 September. Concert times, for your diaries, will be 1.45-2.10pm for Teal classes, and 2.30-2.55pm for White classes.

Students in Years 2-6 may wear their sports uniform every day for these two weeks. There will be a dress rehearsal on Tuesday 22 September. Costume requirements for classes are very simple and are outlined below.

We are really looking forward to a fun couple of weeks of dancing and can’t wait to see the concert on Thursday 24 September.

Following on from the last newsletter, our Early Childhood teachers have recently documented the school’s philosophy for our Early Years. It is on display in the Early Childhood foyer, between the Pre-primary and the Year 1 classrooms. There are 5 elements of the philosophy statement.

Please find attached the elaborations of the following two elements:

· Play and Inquiry as Foundations for Learning

· Balanced Teaching Practices

It was a wonderful morning buzzing with conversation, as people caught up with each other and Dads spent time with their children.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of the fantastic prizes in our Father’s Day raffle.

Thanks to our P&F for organising the breakfast and the raffle and for the sponsors who donated prizes.

Our Sports Carnival was held last Friday. It is always a great day, and a feature is the sportsmanship shown by all of our students. Here are our champion students:

We welcome the opportunity to share our learning with family members during our Learning Journey each year. Classrooms are open TODAY from 3.00pm until 5.00pm.

Please note for your calendar that we will be celebrating Grandparents Day in Term 4 on Friday 16 October from 1.00pm. Grandparents are invited to join us for afternoon tea and classroom visits, concluding with an Assembly.

Please note this date: Thursday 3 December at 5.30pm on the school oval, Kindy to Year 6.

Staffing is a very complex process and will not be finalised until November. Once finalised, this will be announced in the school newsletter.

If your child will not be returning to OLC in 2027, please inform the office in writing to enable our planning for next year. Please note that a term’s fees will be charged in lieu of a term’s notice, as per our enrolment policy if this advice is not received. Thank you.

School fees are now overdue. If you are experiencing difficulties with payment, please make a time to see me as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thank you for considering student safety as a priority. Please note that students are not permitted to cross the road into carparks, or across Sloan Drive to access parent cars without being accompanied by a parent. Recently there was an incident at another school where a child was hit by a car and we certainly don’t want anything to happen to any of our students. At the end of the school day, when there are so many students leaving at the same time, and so many vehicles, we would like to remind parents to be vigilant, as children can be unpredictable and we really care about their safety.

This is a reminder to parents that dogs are not permitted on school grounds unless they are part of an approved school program or event. This is due to student safety and wellbeing, including the risks of unpredictability and the fact that some children experience fear or anxiety around dogs or have allergies. Parents should not bring pet dogs onto school grounds for drop-off or pick up. Dogs may attend only where specifically approved by the school, such as therapy, wellbeing or assistance dogs. Approved dogs will be covered by a school risk assessment and supervision arrangements.

Growth doesn't happen all at once. It comes from the small efforts we make each day, the kindness we show others, and the courage we find when things are challenging. As we move towards the end of the term, let us take a moment to celebrate how far we have come, not just in what we have achieved, but in who we are becoming. Every step forward, no matter how small, is worth recognising and being thankful for.

Wishing you a wonderful week and a relaxing holiday with your family, commencing next Friday 25 September.

School commences for Term 4 for students on Tuesday 13 October, due to the staff being involved in training on Monday 12 October.

May God bless you

Mrs Angela Hegney

Principal

Father’s & Carer’s Breakfast

Thank you to all the Fathers, Grandfathers and Carers of OLC children who attended the special breakfast in appreciation of them on Friday 4 September. It was so pleasing to receive over 200 RSVPs for this event and a big thank you to Year 3 Families for donating eggs and bacon for this breakfast. Congratulations to the Lucky Door Prize winner and thank you to Treptow Renovations & Tiling for donating the $100 Bunnings gift voucher.

Father’s & Carer’s Raffle

Thank you to those families who purchased a ticket for this raffle, your support is really appreciated. Congratulations to the following winners:

$250 Boardstore voucher - Amara and Charlotte Kenny

$250 Outdoor Sportz voucher - Steve Merrick

Posture Form Therapeutic Pillow - Bray Family

$200 Aussie meat tray - Jimmy Woosnam

$1000 Cash - Alison Gomm

Thank you to local businesses Naturaliste Chiro & Physio, Boardstore and Outdoor Sportz for their generous prize contributions.

Thank you to Year 4 & 5 Class Reps and Families for your support in organising these 2 stalls. The combined income from these stalls totalled $1,300 so we are very grateful for the support families gave these stalls on the day.

It’s with great excitement to advise that the next stage of this playground will be installed over the coming school holidays. This next stage will provide the children with a large structure to climb up and slide down. We can’t wait to see and hear their excitement as they use this new playground addition when they return from holidays.

We look forward to bringing you the Term 4 events. The first event is the Grandparents afternoon tea commencing at 1pm on Friday 16th October. Further details will be provided early in the first week back at school.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Our school has been asked to circulate the information below regarding the Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) 2026 Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning, that is being conducted by CSPA and the University of New England. Those interested in participating can click the link in the notice below for more information, and for contact details of the research team should you have any questions.

Your voice genuinely makes a difference, and we would be very grateful for your participation in this survey. If you have issues clicking on the link in the notice, click on this link: https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bDFBiwnMuAjB0Ue

Email: admin@ladyofcape.wa.edu.au
Website: www.ladyofcape.wa.edu.au
Location: 245 Cape Naturaliste Road, Dunsborough WA, Australia
Phone: 9781 3200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OLCDunsborough/